


The Letter

by Spybaby47



Series: The Madeline Raydor Series [3]
Category: Major Crimes (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Family, Family Drama, Gen, Letters to Santa, Love, Married Life, Plans For The Future, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-02-18 17:25:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13104987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spybaby47/pseuds/Spybaby47
Summary: Madeline Raydor writes a letter to Santa every year. This year's letter is full of requests that Santa couldn't possibly fill which prompts the Raydor-Flynn family to reflect on and do things for the love of their family. Some choices are easy. Others threaten everything Sharon Raydor holds dear.Loosely set in Major Crimes Season 5/6. Emphasis on loose.





	1. Letter to Santa

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This story is partly inspired by a recent SNL cold open where kids were asking Santa for things related to current events. It's also inspired by how I thought season 6 might end before it started airing. As far as this story goes, season 6 doesn't exist save for the wedding. 
> 
> This story has at least one more part with Sharon and Andy getting to read the letter and react to it. I chose to post this now because I know there are so many fans out there who are sad, upset, and disappointed by the end of 6x09 and in the season generally. This story is intended to make me feel a little less disappointed, annoyed, and bummed. I hope it does the same for you. Thanks to everyone who has read my other Madeline Raydor stories. I'm glad that other people like them besides me!

Madeline Raydor sat at her little folding desk in her room, a converted den, on a late Saturday morning a few weeks before Christmas. Her mother and Andy were out running errands. So Rusty was left to watch Madeline. She stared at the blank piece of paper thing about what to write for her annual letter to Santa. She started writing them at the age of 4. Each year after she finished writing the letter, it was turned in to an organization that donated money to a charitable cause for every letter received. They then mailed the letters to Santa.

This year Madeline struggled with what to write. It's not that she didn't know what she wanted for Christmas. It's just that she wasn't sure if Santa was the right person to ask for what she wanted. But she decided to give it a shot anyway. Tucking her long strawberry blonde hair behind one ear, she started to write.

Dear Santa,

I know that you get a lot of requests for Christmas and I'm not sure if you're the right person to ask about what I want. It's probably something that I need to ask God. But I'll try anyway.

This year my mommy got married to my step-dad, Andy. They are both police officers and they work very hard to help good people and protect them from bad people. Mommy even got a new rank at work because she's really good at her job.

But the work they do is dangerous sometimes. Mommy was in an explosion at her work and Andy got hurt when he tried to chase a bad person.

That's why I want my mommy and Andy to be protected from bad things happening to them at work instead of toys this year. I love them a lot and I worry about bad things happening to them.

If it's not too much to ask, I have three more things to ask for. The first one is to see my brother Ricky and my sister Emily more next year. They don't live with me and I miss them all the time.

The second thing is for my brother Rusty. He wants to be a lawyer so I want him to get into law school. I also want the bad man who wants to hurt Rusty to get arrested and go to jail. 

The last thing is that I want to keep seeing my daddy as much as I have been. I like doing things with him and I miss him when we don't see each other.

Thank you for reading this. I hope you get to have a vacation after delivering all of the presents on Christmas.

From,  
Madeline Raydor

Madeline carefully folded her letter and tucked it into the envelope given to her by Andy earlier that morning. Then she turned it over and addressed it to Santa in her neatest printing. 

She stood up and padded out of her room in bare feet. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans, and a white graphic shirt with a picture of a gray cat that said, "All you need is love...and a cat" beside it in black letters. Madeline walked across the hall to Rusty's room. She saw him typing away on the laptop through the open door.

"I finished my letter to Santa," She called through the open doorway.

Rusty turned around to face her, his serious expression turning into a smile, "That's great. Can I read it?"

"It's private," Madeline replied entering the room. She looked up at the cork board full of the stuff related to Stroh as she walked over to him.

"Okay," Rusty said a little surprised. "I won't read it then."

"I did ask Santa if he could make sure that Stroh gets arrested and go to jail," She offered.

"I'm not sure if that's Santa's department, Madeline."

"You're right, it's probably God's. But I figured I would try anyway."

This elicited a small laugh from Rusty in spite of all the stress associated with Stroh. 

"Good thinking."

"I think it might be time to leave for Sarah's party," Madeline pointed out, referring to her classmate's birthday party that afternoon.

Rusty checked his phone, "You're right. We do need to leave soon. Why don't you give me the letter and go put your shoes on? Sarah's present is on the dining room table."

"Okay," Madeline said, handing over the letter. Then she left the room to do as Rusty instructed.

For a moment, Rusty considered not reading the letter. But given what Madeline just told him, he was curious to know what else she asked Santa for. He removed the letter from the envelope, unfolded it and began to read it. By the time he reached the end, there was a lump in his throat.

Without saying a word, Rusty set the letter down and took a picture of the text with his phone. Once he was certain that the text in the photo could be read, he folded the letter back up and tucked it in the envelope. Then he took his phone and went into his texts, composing a new group message to Ricky and Emily:

"I think you'll want to read Madeline's letter to Santa," he wrote. "She didn't ask for anything you can put under the tree."

With that, he attached a picture of the letter and pressed send.

"I'm ready," Madeline said from behind him, now wearing black sneakers, her favorite blue bomber jacket and a colorfully wrapped box in one hand.

Rusty stood up and picked up his own jacket and his keys. He turned to Madeline, "Let's go."


	2. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharon and Andy's lunch at the beach causes Sharon to reflect on her decision to stay with Major Crimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read The Letter so far. It turns out this might go on for a bit longer than I anticipated. This particular chapter puts Sharon and Andy front and center as a couple and as parents. I'm particularly excited because it deals with what I hope are realistic family issues. Happy reading!

Sharon Flynn inhaled the smell of the ocean and smiled. She sat at an umbrella covered table on the deck of one of her favorite cafes near the beach for lunch. She hardly ever had time to come here with her work schedule. But when she did, it was magical. She turned to Andy sitting across from her.

 

"It's nice to not be at a crime scene for once," She admitted.

 

"I agree. It's especially nice to be here with you," Andy replied giving her a winning smile.

 

She laughed, "Maybe we should set up a regular date then." 

 

"I like the sound of that. No work, no kids, just us."

 

"So do I," Sharon said reaching over and squeezing his hand. 

 

Their food arrived moments later. After taking a few minutes to taste and then trade samples of their meals between each other, Sharon and Andy lapsed into a conversation about a TV episode they watched the previous night. The series was about spies. Just as they reached the point of discussing the twist at the end, Sharon's phone chirped. She glanced at it and then picked it up.

 

"I just got a text from Emily," She said reading the message.

 

"Really? What does it say?"

 

"Apparently, she received a picture of Madeline's letter to Santa. She says I should read it."

 

"Maybe there's something on there that requires advance planning?"

 

"Maybe," Sharon murmured as she tapped on the attached image Emily sent. She got choked up almost the moment she began to read. When Sharon reached the end, she reached for a napkin to wipe away the tears that welled up in her eyes.

 

"Is everything all right?" Andy asked looking at his wife with concern. In lieu of an answer, Sharon handed the phone to him. Andy took it and read the letter. He couldn’t help but smile a little as his own emotions welled up, “That kid,” he said. Andy thought for a moment before asking, “Have you ever thought about leaving the force?”

 

“A few times,” Sharon admitted. “When I found out I was pregnant with Madeline, I considered it a lot. Working in IA is how I managed to balance being a single parent the first time around. I even thought about going back. By that time though I started working with Major Crimes more often and I couldn't bring myself to leave because I love the work," She said and sighed. "I just--I don't know what to do."

 

"Hey," Andy said gently. "You're not alone in this anymore, remember? We'll figure it out."

 

Sharon gave him a watery smile as her tears returned and several rolled down her cheeks before she managed to compose herself. She used her napkin to wipe away her tears and then reached over and squeezed his hand, "I'm sorry Andy, I'm still adjusting to having a partner in all of this."

 

He smiled softly, "Don't apologize sweetheart. I understand. I still can't believe I have a family after everything I've done in my life. What are you most worried about?"

 

"I'm worried that if we don't do something now, Madeline's anxiety will get worse, not better. Sending her to live with Emily in New York during that year was the best and the worst thing I've ever had to do. I don't want to repeat it."

 

Andy remembered that year all too well. Jack's suit for joint custody during the divorce contributed to Madeline's very first panic attack and a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder not long after that. Getting her out of LA to live with Emily for the summer and following school year helped as did regular therapy. But that period of time tore Sharon apart.

 

"Let's make a plan then. We'll go over our options to find a solution that we can all live with."

 

"I should know what the right decision is Andy," Sharon said, the guilt and heartache apparent on her face. 

 

"If you weren't conflicted, I'd be worried. The fact that you are makes you human Sharon, just like the rest of us. It's not an easy decision. But we'll make it together, okay?"

 

"Okay," Sharon said feeling a bit better. She wiped at her eyes again and stood up, "I'm going to go wash my face. I'll be right back. Before she left, Sharon walked over and kissed Andy, "Thank you for being so wonderful."

 

"You deserve it," He said returning the kiss. "When you come back, let's go for a walk on the beach."

 

"That sounds heavenly," Sharon agreed. 

 

______________________________

 

After finished lunch, Sharon and Andy spent an hour walking along the beach. They talked about everything but possibly retiring and switching jobs, agreeing to save it for home. They heard the laughter from the moment they stepped out of the car a few hours later to pick up Madeline. Sharon and Andy walked up to the front door together hand in hand. Sarah’s mother, Ellen answered the door almost immediately.

 

“Hello Sharon, Andy. Come in. The girls are in the backyard working off their sugar high.”

 

“Hi Ellen,” Sharon said warmly as they walked in. “How did the party go?”

 

“The girls had a blast. My backyard may never be the same again but Ted and the boys have assured me that isn’t so," She said leading them through to the kitchen and out onto an expansive back deck.

 

On the other side of the backyard sat a large trampoline with safety netting. In the golden light of the late day sun Madeline and Sarah took turns doing tricks on the trampoline. They giggled happily while Ted and two older teenage boys cleaned up party detritus in the foreground. 

 

“It looks like everyone had a great time,” Sharon observed with a smile.

 

“Oh they did. Normally I would have never let things get this messy. But when Ted offered to clean up, I figured that the girls deserved to go a little wild,” Ellen said and then called across the yard, “Madeline, your parents are here!”

 

Madeline just left the ground and threw her body backwards into the air before landing again. She turned toward the deck and upon seeing Sharon and Andy standing there, she carefully slid off the trampoline and sat down on the grass to put her shoes back on. Both girls walked across the grass and up the stairs onto the deck. They both looked incredibly happy and a little tired.

 

“Hi bugs,” Andy said. “Did you have fun?”

 

“Yep,” Madeline replied with a grin.

 

After saying goodbye to Ellen and Sarah, they headed back to the car. Andy got in the driver’s seat for the drive home. This gave Sharon an opportunity to observe Madeline a little more closely. A small part of her knew that she was reading a little too much into what her daughter asked of Santa in her letter. At the same time, her long hours didn’t’ allow for as much quality time as it should have.

 

“Did you finish your Santa letter?”

 

“Yes. I’m not sure if Santa will do what I asked him for.”

 

“It never hurts to ask honey. You never know what might happen.”

 

“Your mom’s right, Madeline.Santa delivers his presents all in one night. So he must have other tricks up his sleeve,” Andy said mysteriously, already formulating a plan in his head.

End Part II


	3. A Future So Bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharon and Andy explore their futures outside of the LAPD and receive surprises from Sharon's children. But happy times give way to a case that they never wanted to catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read The Letter so far. This chapter took a little bit longer to write because it covers a lot of ground.
> 
> Some people asked about Madeline's age and she's 7 years-old in this story. When it comes to time and Madeline's age, I'm being incredibly flexible about it just because I wrote each Madeline story at different times. I never intend to write another story about this group of people. It just happens. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. There is a note at the end too. Happy reading!

Andy Flynn could barely suppress a grin as he walked from the breakroom to Sharon's office just over two weeks later. This day couldn't get any better. Their case had wrapped up earlier that afternoon and about an hour ago, his friend Terrace stopped by to say hello to him. He was a well-respected lieutenant who retired from the LAPD a decade ago now. They were in the same academy class but never really had the chance to work together much having gone down different paths. He walked into Sharon's office in time to see her finishing off some paperwork. She looked up just as he closed the door.

"You look happy. Did you have a good conversation with Terrance?"

"I had an excellent conversation with Terrance," Andy confirmed grinning from ear to ear. "He's thinking about moving to Seattle to be near his kids. But he isn't sure about it yet because he wants his local clients to be left in good hands."

"Let me guess," Sharon replied, setting down her pen. "You see this as an opportunity for us?"

"Yes, I do. It's not something we have to decide right away. But this is a chance for us to start a PI business with a built-in client base."

"True. There's still a matter of setting up said business and ensuring we have the proper licenses."

"And I think we can do that. Just say that you'll think about it?"

Sharon smiled and stood up before walking around her desk. She leaned in and kissed Andy softly, "I will take it under serious advisement."

"That's all I ask," He said returning the kiss. "Ready to go pick up Madeline and head off to the ballet?"

"Yes. I love that seeing the Nutcracker with Nicole has become our family tradition."

"That makes two of us."  
_____________________

"You have such beautiful hair, Madeline," Nicole said wistfully putting Madeline's hair up into an updo in the guest bathroom of the condo a little while later. It was at times like these that she wanted to have a stepdaughter in addition to her step-sons.

"Thank you."

"I wonder when we'll see you in a Nutcracker performance?" 

Madeline shrugged, "Emily, Charlie, and Noah are better than I could ever be."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true."

"I have more fun at gymnastics than I do at ballet. Ballet just helps my gymnastics."

"Interesting. So you like doing all of those tricks, huh?"

"Yes, I do. It takes a while to learn a new skill. But once I get it, it feels like I'm flying just a little bit."

“Madeline!” Andy called from the living room. “Someone is here to see you.”

“I wonder who that could be?” Nicole asked innocently looking at her step-sister in the mirror as she finished Madeline’s hair off with a light coat of hairspray.

Madeline walked out of the bathroom with Nicole following behind. Ricky stood just behind the couch wearing a suit and tie, talking Andy and Rusty. He turned just as Madeline walked into the living room. Her eyes lit up and she flew across the room toward her brother, “RICKY!” she exclaimed as he swept her up.

“Hey Mads,” he said kissing her on the cheek. “I heard you missed me.”

"I did and now you're here!" She said throwing her arms around him and giving him a big hug.

"You did good," Andy whispered in Sharon's ear as they stood next to the dining room table watching Ricky and Madeline together. 

"I certainly did," Sharon replied almost to herself losing herself in thought. 

Ever since Madeline wrote her letter to Santa, planning for what came next became the topic of conversation between Sharon and Andy when they weren't working a case. It started out as a purely practical exercise going over finances and soon morphed into a discussion about what to do post-retirement. Neither one of them had any desire to stop working. Having more balance between work and their personal lives, on the other hand, was something they both wanted. 

Going into private investigation work seemed like the most logical choice on paper. It allowed Sharon and Andy to work together still in a job that wouldn't be as high stress. In a way, it would also be a return to what Sharon did in IA; investigate, question people, and file paperwork. The question of whether she could love it as much her work with major crimes still remained unanswered. Whatever Sharon did next had to be the right move for herself and for Madeline and Andy. 

"Mom?" Ricky repeated.

Sharon looked over at her son and realized that Rusty, Madeline, Andy, and Nicole had gone presumably downstairs.

"Sorry honey," she said. "Ready to go?"

"Yes," He said offering her his arm. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Sharon took his arm, “I’ve just been thinking about your sister’s letter.

“Ah. Madeline didn't ask for something you can put under the tree, did she," Ricky said more as a statement than a question.

“No. Part of me wishes she did," Sharon replied as they left the apartment and headed to the elevator.

"You're really considering leaving the LAPD, aren't you?"

Sharon nodded, "I am. It's just a matter of what I want to do next."

"If it helps, the job doesn't make you, mom. You make the job," Ricky pointed out. "So whatever you decide to do next, the world will be better for it."

Sharon leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, "It does help, Ricky. Thank you."

_______________________  
Just over two hours later, the lights came up in the theatre for the Los Angeles Ballet's production of the Nutcracker signaling intermission. All around the theater, adults, and children rose and walked out to the lobby for refreshments. Madeline remained in her seat next to her mother and Andy flipping quietly through her program as the adults around her talked amongst themselves. Ricky and Rusty were talking about technology. Beside them, Nicole and her husband were engaged in a quiet conversation.

Madeline closed the program and sat back in her seat with a quiet sigh. Sharon looked over and smiled softly at her daughter before reaching out and lifting Madeline onto her lap. 

 

"What's up sugarplum?" She asked.

"I miss Emmie," she whispered.

"Me too," she agreed. Anytime she went to the Nutcracker, Sharon always thought of Emily and her beautiful dancing. "But you know what I am grateful for?"

"What?" Madeline asked.

"I'm grateful to have you here with me this year."

This time last year Madeline was still living in New York with Emily. The snow at JFK forced them to travel home the day after Christmas. Emily drew the Christmas Eve performance of the Nutcracker this year so she wouldn't be here until after noon on Christmas Day. When Madeline realized what her mother was referring to, she smiled.

"I am too, mommy."

Andy watched the exchange between mother and daughter in silence. He smiled to himself, knowing that by the end of the night he would have a very happy family.

The lights dimmed again soon after and everyone settled back into their seats. Madeline stayed on Sharon’s lap and settled in for her favorite part of the ballet. She loved the Land of Sweets. When the Sugar Plum Fairy came out, Sharon sat up a little straighter, not believing what she saw at first. Madeline let out a quiet gasp.

“Is that—," Sharon whispered

"Emily?" Andy whispered back. "Merry Christmas Sharon."

Sharon leaned over and kissed him, careful so as not to disturb Madeline who was transfixed watching Emily dance, “Thank you, Andy,” she said, her emotions evident in the words.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. But you should really thank Emily, it was all her idea," he whispered back.

Later, Sharon, Andy, Rusty, Ricky, Madeline, Nicole, and her husband all stood in the glass-domed rotunda just outside the theater waiting for their performers with flowers in hand. The boys emerged first and everyone greeted them with praise for a job well done. Madeline said her piece and then stepped to the side looking for her big sister. Emily emerged just a few moments later. She stopped when she spotted Madeline and opened her arms. The little girl took off straight towards them and Emily embraced her the moment they met.

“Hi baby doll,” Emily said kissing Madeline and picking her up.

“You did a really good job,” Madeline whispered.

“Thank you. Do you think I surprised mommy?”

Madeline smiled, “Yes, She looks really happy.”

Emily looked down to where her mother and family stood to see Madeline was right. Sharon looked overjoyed to be surrounded by her husband and family for the holidays. She set Madeline down and the two sisters walked back towards their family.

"Emily, you were wonderful," Sharon said hugging her oldest daughter. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Neither can I," Emily replied honestly. 

"It wouldn't have anything to do with your sister's letter would it?" She asked quietly.

"Maybe a little."

Sharon hugged Emily a little tighter upon hearing this. She could only imagine the mountains that Emily moved in order to make dancing tonight let alone being here possible. 

"You're a very good sister," Sharon said looking at her daughter.

"I had a very good teacher," Emily replied with a smile.

After everyone exchanged greetings, hugs, and compliments, Nicole, and her family headed home due to the late hour and tired but happy children. As they were exchanging their goodbyes with Sharon and Andy, Emily, Ricky, Rusty, and Madeline were clustered together planning something.

"Okay, you four," Sharon said faux suspiciously after everyone else left. "What's going on here?"

"We're just planning our sibling sleepover," Ricky said. "Which is why you'll need this," He finished producing an envelope from his breast pocket and handing it to Sharon.

Sharon opened it and pulled out a piece of paper and a key card. She read it and smiled feeling both loved and conflicted. It was a reservation at The Resort Hotel and Spa just across the street with a check in date for tonight, brunch the following day and a late checkout tomorrow.

"What is this for?"

"Call it an early Christmas present," Rusty said. "You deserve a night off."

Sharon handed the paper to Andy who smiled at her, "I know all about it. Someone had to pack a bag."

"Oh I see," She said with a laugh. "You were all in cahoots with one another."

"We thought it would be nice to give you and Andy some time alone," Emily added. "We'll even meet you at the gymnastics meet tomorrow."

Madeline had her first meet of the season the following day. The date had been on the calendar for several months already. Making it to said meet had been Sharon's goal since they caught their latest case. Relaxation hadn't exactly been on her list of things to do this week. 

"I guess that's everything then," Sharon concluded feeling both relieved and a little caught off guard by the surprise.

__________________________

 

Sharon and Andy exchanged their goodnights with the kids and thanked them for the surprise before heading off to the hotel. It was late by the time the two of them got to the room and settled in.

"They really pulled out all the stops," Andy observed as they got ready for bed.

"I'll say," Sharon replied as she looked through the French doors leading out to their own private terrace which featured a breathtaking view of the city. "I still can't believe all of this actually happened."

"I'm glad it did. You deserve a relaxing night off. But something tells me that you're not completely relaxed."

"I'm getting there," Sharon admitted. "I just didn't expect for the kids to have everything handled."

"Rusty, Ricky, and Emily know that you've been through a lot at work lately and they wanted to do something nice for you," Andy pointed out as they finished their nightly rituals. "Speaking of which, I booked us a couple's massage at the spa downstairs."

"You didn't!" She exclaimed smiling.

"I did. When Emily told me all about this little surprise she had planned with the boys, I asked her to book it for me."

Sharon crossed the room and kissed her husband right there and then, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Andy said returning the kiss."I intend to take full advantage of this time off," He whispered.

"So do I," Sharon whispered back.

_________________________________

Until she walked into the Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency the following afternoon, Madeline Raydor felt totally calm. Seeing all of the girls milling around and all of the events set up made the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter.

“You okay?” Emily asked standing beside her sister.

“Yep,” Madeline replied letting out a breath as she spotted her coach and teammates.

Emily moved to check her sister's bag first to ensure everything was there for competition and then moved to check the braided bun she's put Madeline's hair into. After kneeling in front of her sister to do one last clothing check, she smiled, "You're all set."

"I'm ready."

Emily kissed her forehead, "You got this, okay? We'll be right over there if you need us," She said pointing to where Rusty and Ricky sat on the other side of the ballroom in the stands. Sharon and Andy were walking the stairs up to meet them.

"Okay," Madeline said flashing a small smile at her sister, "I love you."

"I love you too, baby doll."

With that, Madeline walked over to meet her coaches and her teammates to start warming up and Emily crossed the ballroom over to the stands.

"Everything all right?" Sharon asked as Emily sat beside her on the bench in their row.

"Yes. Madeline's ready to compete."

"Thank you for taking care of everything."

"It was my pleasure mom. Did you two have a nice night?"

"We did," Andy chimed in. "It was the best way to end a long week."

"How was your sibling sleepover?"

"Madeline fell asleep in the car on the way home and then refused to go to bed," Rusty said.

"Because she thinks we're awesome," Ricky told him. "So we let her stay up with us."

"For an hour," Emily pointed out before Sharon asked when Madeline actually went to bed. "She was out by 11:30. We stayed up for a few hours after that talking and then slept in late."

"It sounds like everyone had a good time then."

"It was actually pretty fun," Ricky added with a smile.

As the most reluctant of her children to accept Rusty into the family at first, hearing Ricky say that meant a lot to Sharon. It occurred to her that this was the first time her family was happy, healthy, and complete for the first time since Emily and Ricky were young. It felt good.

"Gymnasts, please proceed to your first event for touch warm-ups," An announcer said causing the gymnasts to scatter to their respective events.

Everyone turned their attention to the floor. Madeline stood next to the uneven bars getting ready to go. She removed her warmups and then stood in her navy blue long-sleeved team leotard decorated with clear rhinestones getting ready for the event by putting on her grips and chalking up. The moment warmups began, everything around Madeline faded away. Her sole focus remained on her coaches, her teammates, and the event in front of her. The sense of inner confidence that she felt in the gym returned. She could do this.

And do it Madeline did. She applied all of her coaching and corrections to uneven bars, vault, and balance beam with no major wobbles, falls, or obvious mistakes. She never looked at the scores though. Instead, Madeline simply focused on what she needed to do and cheered her teammates on. She heard her family cheering for her too somewhere up in the stands but didn't dare break her concentration by looking up. Warmups for her final event, floor, went well. But as Madeline waited to compete, she went through her first ever optional floor routine in her head again and reminded herself to tell the story in the routine.

When Madeline's turn came, she saluted the judges and got into position. In the 90 seconds that followed, she pretended to be scared and be chased by monsters. Then she realized that she had the power to chase them away using her tumbling and dance skills in the routine. Finally, Madeline managed to chase them off and was triumphant. 

Up in the stands, Ricky looked impressed by his baby sister's performance, "Move over Em. You have competition," He teased.

"More like everyone down there does," Emily replied. "That was really good."

"It was great," Sharon added squeezing Andy's hand. Coming into today, a part of her wondered if letting Madeline put in extra hours in the gym had been too much. Now she could see the impact of Madeline's time, effort, and good coaching not to mention her love for the sport. On the floor below, Madeline's team started screaming followed by people clapping from around the room. 

"Apparently, it's perfect," Andy said pointing towards the floor score monitor. It read, "Raydor, Madeline. Southern California Gymnastics. FX: 10.00."

The Raydor-Flynn clan celebrated in the stands at that point just like Madeline's team was. Sharon saw Madeline say something to one of her coaches out of the corner of her eye. They walked across to one of the doors leading out of the ballroom, presumably because Madeline needed to use the restroom. Even though each floor routine was only 90 seconds long, it took several minutes between each routine for the judges to score and prepare for the next competitor. When Madeline didn't come back into the room by the time the second routine after hers began, Sharon knew something wasn't right.

The same thought must have crossed Andy's mind too because he rose to his feet at the same time she did.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Ricky asked as all three siblings looked at them.

"I'm just going to check on your sister," Sharon said as she and Andy moved in front of Emily to the stairs. "Stay here," She instructed looking specifically at Rusty.

Before anyone could respond, Andy and Sharon went down the stairs and onto the floor, walking quickly around the perimeter of the competition to the door Madeline and her coach left out of. The door to a women's restroom stood directly across from the door, no further than a dozen feet when they pushed through it. Sharon walked up to the door first and then opened it, hoping her instincts were off.

Sharon saw a woman she recognized as her daughter's coach, Jen lying on her stomach as she opened the door. Blood oozed out of a wound on the head of dark brown hair she had. She moved, clearly trying to get up. As Sharon went to her, she saw small white chalky fingerprints on the bottom of the first stall closest to the door. Its door was still locked. Her heart plummeted.

The young woman managed to raise her head just enough to meet Sharon's eyes, "I'm so sorry," She managed, pain and horror evident in her eyes.

"Andy," Sharon said, seeing him open the door as she bent down to Coach Jen. "Call for a bus. Tell dispatch we have a victim of assault and a critically missing child."

Andy's fingers were already dialing as she spoke. He put the phone to his ear, "Yeah, this is Lutentent Andy Flynn," He said and gave his badge number. "We need a bus at the Hyatt Regency on the first floor in the south hall next to the Grand Ballroom for a victim of an assault. We also need a police unit for a critically missing child, suspected abduction," He said, listened, and then cleared his throat, "Her name is Madeline Elizabeth Raydor."

To Be Continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> E/N: When I started writing this story, it started out just to be a piece of fluff. But I couldn't resist a little drama. That's why this chapter covers so much ground. Madeline will return alive and well and so will Sharon, Andy, and the siblings, I promise. The next chapter is already in progress!


End file.
